Laundry starch composition



United States Patent LAUNDRY STARCH COMPOSITION George L. Hervert, Downers Grove, Ill., assignor to Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago, III., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application September 9, 1952, Serial No. 308,687

13 Claims. (Cl. 106-210) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial Number 98,871, filed June 13, 1949, now Patent No. 2,620,281, December 2, 1952.

This invention relates to a novel composition of matter containing a laundry starching component, that is, a substance which stiifens or adds gloss to a fabric impregnated with the same and a component herein referred to as an anti-soil fixation agent which tends to render the fabric more easily laundered when soiled by subsequent wearing. More specifically, the present invention concerns a laundry starching composition containing a minor amount of a component which inhibits the tendency of oils and fats excreted in normal perspiration and retained in wearing apparel worn next to the skin to undergo oxidation, thereby eliminating the soil fixation factor which accompanies the oxidation of such fats and oils.

It is one of the objects of this invention to prepare a fabric stiifening composition, herein referred to as a starching composition, containing an anti-soil fixation agent which will render the fabric when subsequently soiled more readily laundered in a shorter period of laundering and utilizing less detergent in the laundering operation. Another object of this invention is to provide a starching composition which is readily dissolved or suspended in water, is not poisonous to the person wearing fabric starched with such composition, is non-irritating, does not discolor in contact with hot ironing surfaces, and retards the oxidation of fats and oils coming in contact therewith, thereby retarding the fixation of soil deposited in the presence of said starching composition.

This invention embodies a starching composition containing an anti-soil fixation agent and a fabric starching component.

A more specific embodiment of the invention concerns a starch composition containing an anti-soil fixation agent selected from the partially or completely water-soluble or water dispersible, non-toxic and non-irritating organic compounds having fat oxidation inhibiting properties.

Another specific embodiment of this invention concerns a starching composition which retards the oxidation of fats and oils in the soil of fabrics containing the starching composition, said composition comprising a water dispersible starch having present therein from about 0.01 to about by weight of a 2.4-dialkyl-b-tertiary alkylphenol.

Other objects and embodiments of this invention will be referred to in greater detail in the following further description of the invention. I

It is a matter of common experience that the removal of soil from fabrics is generally dependent not only upon various factors associated with the washing solution, that is, its temperature, composition, concentration of detergent therein, the mechanical action associated with the laundering operation and the length of time the laundering operation is continued, but is also dependent upon 2 ,728,683 Patented Dec. 27, 1955 the soil itself, its composition, age, particle size, method of application, intensity, and the type of fabric upon which the soil is deposited. One of the most common types of soil is that associated with the deposit of an oleaginous substance, such as a fat, oil, grease, etc., on the surface of the fabric and the subsequent retention of finely divided dust particles, soot, etc., in the ole aginous film, the soil eventually penetrating through the entire structure of the fabric fibers. In the case of many pieces of common wearing apparel, such as shirts, dresses, etc., having collars and cuffs, oils from the glands of the skin cover the fabric and increase the afiinity of such parts of the wearing apparel for the retention of soil. It is also a matter of common observation (refer, for example, to Detergent Action of Soap by S. H. Rhodes et al., Industrial Engineering Chemistry, 21 (1929) on page 62) that soil on fabrics becomes more resistant to removal by laundering when the soil is aged before laundering, presumably by virtue of the oxidation of the oils and fats in the soil which occurs on exposure of the soil to the atmosphere during aging. The effect of aging a soiled fabric on the removability of the soil containing tallow fat as a portion of the soil is shown by a comparative series of tests on several swatches of cloth uniformly soiled at the same time with an identical soiling material, aged at varying lengths of time and each aged sample of soiled cloth washed in accordance with a standardized procedure in a Launder-O-Meter. The comparative results of a series of such tests are indi- 1 Percentage of reflectance compared to pure magnesia as In an aqueous 0.1% solution of sodium stearate at F. in a standard Launder-O-Meter.

3 Unbleached muslin.

4 A mixture consisting of colloidal graphite and mineral oil.

It is believed that the primary cause for the greater difiiculty in removing soil containing oleaginous materials from fabric during laundering operations is the oxidation of such fats and oils, the oxidation forming products which retain the soil in the loose structure of the fabric much more tenaciously. The present invention provides a means of overcoming these diificulties as applied to those portions of wearing apparel and fabrics for other uses which are normally starched prior to their use. This invention provides a starching composition containing an anti-soil fixation agent which retards the oxidation of the oleaginous component of the soil, and thus eliminates the primary factor involved in the retention of the soil on the fabric. The presence of the anti-soil fixation agent in the starching composition, therefore, retards or prevents the fixation of the soil on the fabric and enables the oleaginous material to be removed substantially as rapidly as though the soiled fabric had been washed immediately following soil deposition or commensurate with the speed of soil removal where there has been no storage or aging of the soiled fabric.

The starching composition of this invention contains a starching component, that is, a substance which provides stiffness, gloss, or other desirable properties to a starched fabric, including any of the presently used materials for this purpose, such as gloss starch or its various physical or chemical modifications, various resinous materials utilizable for this purpose, such as polyvinyl acetate, and other substances. The anti-soil fixation agent of the present composition which is added to the starching component in an amount of from about 0.01 to about 10% by weight thereof, preferably from about 0.1 to about 2% by Weight, is selected from the class of organic compounds herein characterized as alkylphenols which retard or inhibit oxidation of fats. The anti-soil fixation agent is preferably at least partially water-soluble or dispersible in water with the aid of a surface active or emulsifying agent such that it may be evenly distributed throughout the starching composition and ultimately in the aqueous starching solution when utilized. When employed for starching Wearing apparel, the anti-soil fixation agent is preferably selected from those compounds which are non-poisonous and non-irritating to the human skin in the small amounts utilized in the starching composition. Included among the alkylphenols utilizable as anti-soil fixation agents to which this invention relates are the mono-, di-, and tri-alltylphenols, and particularly the orthoortho-paraalkyl phenols which are particularly effective for this purpose. Specific compounds Within the above specified class of alkylphenols are the alkyl polyhydricphenols, such as Z-methyl-hydroquinone 2,6-dimethylhydroquinone, 2-methyl-6-tert butylhydroquinone, 4 tert butylpyrocatechol, 4-tert-butyl-6-methylpyrocatechol,4--isopropyl-G-methylpyrocatechol, 4,6-dimethylpyrocatechol, 4-tert-butylresorcinol, 4-tert-butyl-6-methylresorcinol, 4-tert-butyl-S-methylresorcinol, 2-sec-butyl-4- methylphenol, 2-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol, 2,4-dimethyl- 6-n-butylphenol, 2,4-dimethyl-G-isobutylphenol, 2,6-dimethyl-4-tert-butylphenol, 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol, 2,6- ditert-butyl-6-methylphenol, 2,4-dimethyl-6-tertiary butylphenol, etc. The preferred compounds of the above specific types are the polyalkylphenols containing not more than a total of three alkyl substituents two of which are ortho to the hydroxyl group the other alkyl substituent being para thereto, the latter preferably being a secondary or tertiary alkyl group. In order to provide compounds which are relatively water soluble or readily dispersible by emulsification in Water, the alkyl substituents are desirably of short chain length, containing not more than about 5 carbon atoms per group. In the case of the alkylphenols containing a butyl or amyl substituent, the I remaining alltyl group or groups is preferably methyl or ethyl. The preferred alkylpheuol additives in the present starching composition are, preferably also non-toxic and non-irritating to human skin. The latter factors may be of primary consideration in the selection of a particular L.

anti-soil fixation agent utilizable in starching fabrics to be worn as garments in contact with the skin. It is not intended, however, in thus specifying the preferred classes of compounds utilizable as anti-soil fixation agents to thereby exclude other oxidation retarders utilizable for purposes in which the above factors are of only minor or insignificant importance. Thus, other compounds which may not necessarily be desirable as starching compositions in the case of fabrics to be Worn as garments, may not be objectionable in the case of fabrics for other purposes, such as table cloths, etc.

The anti-soil fixation agents herein specified as components of the present starching compositions are desirably dispersed throughout the starching composition uniformly and in intimate admixture with the starching component. Any means whereby such uniform disper sion is effected may be utilized, such as mixing the antisoil fixation agent in a finely divided state with the starching component, as, for example, by tumbling or stirring or by dissolving or suspending the starching component in water, adding the active component to the aqueous solution or slurry to provide a mixture in which the components are uniformly interspersed, and thereafter drying the resulting mixture to form a dry, packageable powder in the form customarily used by consumers to prepare a starching solution. An aid in effecting the dispersion of the anti-soil fixation agent in the aqueous phase, especially where the compound is relatively water-insoluble, comprises emulsifying the compound with the aqueous phase and for this purpose a material commonly recognized as an emulsifying agent, such as a surface active agent or detergent may be dissolved in the aqueous phase and the mixture rapidly stirred or otherwise agitated to effect the desired dispersion. A preferred procedure for the preparation of a gloss starch containing the antisoil fixation agent comprises dissolving the gloss starch in hot water, adding the desired amount of the compound thereto and thereafter spray drying the resulting solution to form a finely divided mass of a readily water-soluble or Water-dispersible starching composition.

This invention is further illustrated with respect to specific embodiments thereof in the following examples. In specifying particular anti-soil fixation agents, particular compositions and procedures for producing the same, it is not thereby intended to limit the generally broad scope of the invention in strict accordance therewith, but merely to describe the particular applicability of the invention to several species of the utilizable alternatives herein.

Example I A laundry starching composition was prepared by incorporating 1.15% of 2,4-dimethyl-6-tert-butylphenol into powdered gloss starch, the phenol being added to the starch in a finely powdered condition and the mixture thereafter tumbled in a rotary cylindrical tumbler to uniformly disperse the phenolic compound throughout the starch component. The resulting starch composition was added to boiling water to provide an aqueous starching solution containing 0.05% concentration of the anti-soil fixation agent in the starch solution. A number of swatches of cotton fabric was starched in the usual manner with the starching composition by dipping the cotton fabric in the aqueous starch solution and after drying, were ironed flat. A second series of cotton fabric swatches were starched with an aqueous starching solution prepared by adding gloss starch itself, containing none of the phenolic additive. The latter were control samples dried and ironed in the same manner as the starched fabric swatches containing the anti-soil fixation agent.

The two series of starched fabric swatches (one series being starched by the starching composition containing 1.15% 2,4'dimethyl-G-tert-butylphenol and the second scries having been 'starcbed with gloss starch only) were uniformly soiled by soaking the swatches in a standard soil consisting of colloidal graphite suspended in a mixture of mineral oil, edible tallow and carbon tetrachloride. Each series of fabrics was laundered in a standard laundering procedure utilizing a Launder-O-Meter apparatus in which an aqueous solution of alkyl aromatic sulfonate at 140 F. containing various concentrations of the detergent was utilized as the washing solution.

The resulting laundered swatches were tested for light reflectance therefrom utilizing a standard Refiectometer.

The percentages reflectance of light from each of the cotton swatch samples for each of the respective series was compared with the reflectance from magnesia as the standard of 100% reflectance. The following Table 1i presents the results for fabrics aged for the various lengths of time indicated above and laundered in the detergent solution containing the designated concentration sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate therein. The percent efficiency is determined on the basis of the formula:

Reflectance of washed fabric-Reflectance oi soiled fabric concontaining starch composition taining starch composition X100 Reflectance of washed tabricR flectance of soiled fabric concontaining starch only mining starch only TABLE II [Launder-O-Wleter and reflectance tests of cotton swatches starched with a starching composition in which 2,4-d1- methyl-6-tert-butylphenol was present (Series A) and compgsitiion \Jvhich 2,4-dimetl1yl-o-tert-butylphenol was absent er es Example II A procedure similar to that employed in Example I was utilized in the following series of runs to determine the efliciency of 2,G-ditertiary-butyl-4-methyiphenol as on anti-soil fixation agent in a starching composition. Gloss starch was mixed with 2,6-ditert-butyl-4-methylphenol to provide a composition containing 0.85% of the latter component in the mixture. The latter phenolic compound is water-dispersible when the water contains dissolved therein a detergent or other emulsifying agent. For this purpose the starch composition contains 2% by weight of lauryl sulfate. The reflectance evaluations for a series of cotton fabric test samples starched with this composition and aged are indicated in the following Table III.

TABLE III [Reflectance of cotton swatches uniformly soiled and laundered after specified ageing periods, Series A swatches being starched with a starch 111g composition containing 0.85% by weight of 2,6-ditert-butyl-4- methylphenol and Series B with a starch containing no antisoil-flxation agent.]

Detergent concentration, weight percent in aqueous laundering solution 0.075 0.625 0. 90 Reflectance of soiled fabric 14. 1 14. 1 14.1 Fabric aged 1 day:

Series A 48. 8 66. 7 58. 9 Series B 47. 1 46. 6 46. 1 Percent efliciencsn. 105 131 140 Fabric aged 7 days:

Series A 87. 5 42. 4 43. 1 Series B 35. 0 37. 9 36. 3 Percent efliciency 112 119 131 Fabric aged 20 days:

Series A 31. 4 35. B 37. 3 Series B 30. 4 32. 6 32. 2 Percent efllciency .-...106 116 I claim as my invention:

1. A composition for use in the laundering of fabrics comprising a fabric starching component in finely divided solid form and having uniformly distributed therein from about 0.01 to about 10% by Weight of a water-dispersiblc anti-soil fixation agent comprising a substituted mono-nuclear phenol containing from 1 to 2 hydroxyl groups per molecule and in which the substitution consists of at least 1 but not more than 3 alkyl groups of not more than about 5 carbon atoms per group.

2. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol contains 3 nuclear alkyl groups per molecule.

3. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol contains a nuclear alkyl group having at least 4 carbon atoms per group and 2 nuclear alkyl substituent groups of less than 3 carbon atoms.

4. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol contains a secondary nuclear alkyl substituent having not more than 5 carbon atoms.

5. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol contains a nuclear tert-butyl substituent.

6. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol contains a nuclear alkyl substituent in the 2-position relative to a hydroxyl group of the phenol.

7. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol contains nuclear alkyl substituents in the 2- and 6-positions relative to a hydroxyl group of said phenol.

8. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol contains only one hydroxyl group and has alkyl groups in the 2, 4, and 6-positions relative to said hydroxyl group.

9. The composition of claim 8 further characterized in that said alkyl group in the 4-position is tert-butyl.

10. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said starching component comprises gloss starch.

11. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol is 2,G-dimethyl-4-tert-butylphenol.

12. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said phenol is 2,6-ditert-butyl-4-methylphenol.

13. The composition of claim 1 further characterized in that said composition contains a dispersing agent capable of dispersing said phenol in water.

References Citedlin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,620,281 Hervert Dec. 2, 1952 

1. A COMPOSITION FOR USE IN THE LAUNDERING OF FABRICS COMPRISING A FABRIC STARCHING COMPONENT IN FINELY DIVIDED SOLID FORM AND HAVING UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THEREIN FROM ABOUT 0.01 TO ABOUT 10% BY WEIGHT OF A WATER-DISPERSIBLE ANTI-SOLID FIXATION AGENT COMPRISING A SUBSTITUTED MONO-NUCLEAR PHENOL CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 2 HYDROXYL GROUPS PER MOLECULE AND IN WHICH THE SUBSTITUTION CONSISTS OF AT LEAST 1 BUT NOT MORE THAN 3 ALKYL GROUPS OF NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 5 CARBON ATOMS PER GROUP. 